I recently got a 3ds and I am interested in getting Monster hunter. I've played the demo a few times and I'm interested in giving it a shot BUT, after I played the hard demo, which involves an underwater fight, I am completely turned off. I loved the fight on the ground but the controls and camera underwater were extremely frustrating for me.

So my question, should I let that dissuade me from purchasing the full game?

You do about 15% of the fights in water. Some of the monsters that you fight in the water can be pulled back on land, but it is a good chunk of the game. I don't find fighting underwater to be too "fun" it is just another annoyance, similar to when Rathalos flies all over the place and you are trying to knock him down back on the ground. Luckily, having to position your character in the water takes practice and becomes a little easier over time. I have played the 3DS and WiiU versions, having more screen real estate helps but you still get lost in the action.

Monster Hunter is all about learning an AI and adapting to the changes it throws at you. Water adds another element for you to learn but eventually it becomes second nature to fight in the water. If you have huge issues with it, sometimes switching weapons (like a heavy or light bowgun) might increase the fun of fighting in water. Also, I save some of the harder fights for online so that I can share in the annoyances and learn to see how other people swim while fighting.

This game pays for itself in content. If you enjoyed the demo, get a guide (http://weloveculty.com/collections/monster-hunter-beginners-guide) or watch some YouTube videos and embrace the chaos.

Happy hunting!

@jpklis Even on the WiiU, fighting underwater is a complete pain in the arse. I haven't tried the 3DS version yet (I've got the demo downloading now), but I can imagine that it's far more awkward without a more easily controllable camera.

It's a great game overall, but as the 3DS version is kinda gimped in the multiplayer department without a WiiU to piggyback on, it seems harder to recommend.

EDIT: OK I've just tried the demo on 3DS and a totally see what you mean. It just doesn't work well at all.

It's worth noting that you can press the monster icon on the touch screen to lock-on, so every time you hit L you'll face the target. But as far as swimming from A to B goes, it seems pretty terrible.

Underwater still sucks even with the CPP. It just sucks in general. It doesn't stop the game from being awesome though.

@mideonnviscera: Mideon is right. The entire game is fucking awesome. 150+ hours on MH3U and not one of those hours were wasted.

The underwater hunting is just kind of wonky, probably made that way intentionally. It was the same in Tri.

You can get all of the swimming monsters on land one way or another; Fishing them out, hitting them with a dung bomb to force them to run or draining there stamina works in most cases. Beating the hell out of them works when your other options fail.

Also bring more players. If you don't have friends to play with you can get two npc critters from the single player that will help you out. More targets = easier to go unnoticed and pound on the monster.

Do not let the underwater hunting dissuade you. You can conquer it.

...also... just wait till you have to deal with Deviljho. He's the real threat. Once you get to him your swimming woes will pale in comparison to a giant green t-rex that breathes black death fire and stalks you from area to area FEEDING ON OTHER LARGE MONSTERS.

Well said Moot. Deviljho is a real menace and anyone who thinks otherwise is crazy. Not to mention in the last half of the main campaign, you will be seeing him a lot. Don't forget dung bombs, they keep you alive even though it is slightly embarrassing to carry them.